Nearly 1.2 million tickets have been sold for this year's World Cup in Qatar, organizers said on Wednesday, putting a figure on sales for the first time. 

Chief organizer Hassan Al-Thawadi said there had been "record-breaking" demand for the November-December World Cup, the first held in the Middle East. "I think about 1.2 million tickets have already been purchased," he said during the Qatar Economic Forum.

The figure was confirmed by organizing committee officials, who said there were about 40 million requests in the two phases of online sales.

Two million tickets will be sold in total, with another one million reserved for world body FIFA and sponsors.

The Qatari capital Doha, with a population of about 2.4 million, is bracing itself for the huge influx of visitors, with hotel accommodation extremely scarce.

The 32-team tournament will be held at eight stadiums in and around the capital, putting major pressure on infrastructure.

Qatar says there will be 130,000 rooms in hotels, apartments, cruise ships and desert camps, where there will be 1,000 traditional tents. It has promised shared rooms for as little as $85 a night.

More than 160 round-trip shuttle flights a day will bring in fans from neighboring countries, easing the pressure on accommodation, while capacity has been doubled at Doha's two international airports.

(With input from agencies)